Nigeria: LEAP Africa offers fellows $160,000 grants

LEAP Africa, a prominent non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing youth leadership, has collaborated with the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and Sahara Foundation to provide substantial grants, amounting to $160,000, to its fellows and alumni.

The Board Chair, LEAP Africa, Clare Omatseye, applauded the team’s growth in collaborating with entrepreneurs from different African countries with a shared purpose to pioneer innovative approaches for social change.

Special Adviser to President on PEBEC and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, emphasised the importance of ethical innovation and urged young African innovators to embrace disruption for societal improvement.

“Despite challenges, the continent is teeming with opportunities, and young leaders are spearheading change.Through a plethora of innovative approaches, the Nigerian government, under the PEBEC’s systemic intervention, has successfully implemented 180 reforms since 2016 to enhance the MSME business environment, including many youth-owned businesses,” she said.

Executive Director for LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, noted that the Social Innovators Programme (SIP) is the organization’s flagship programme that supports creative young Africans from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Cameroon, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania with ideas and initiatives to proffer practical solutions to identified challenges in local communities.

She said LEAP Africa has supported over 279 social innovators with skills, mentorship, funding and network to scale their social enterprises.